In this episode, Patrick Casale and Kendra Vargas, LCPC, PMH-C, and founder of Authentically You Psychotherapy, talk about her deeply personal journey with infertility and how it shaped her clinical focus, group offerings, and entrepreneurial growth. Kendra's story is a testament to how lived experience can fuel meaningful change in private practice—and impact entire communities.

Here are 3 key takeaways:

1. Leverage Your Lived Experience: Kendra emphasized how sharing her own infertility journey made her groups and sessions more relatable, accessible, and supportive for clients. Sometimes, our most powerful “credential” is empathy and shared experience.
2. Niche Down for Impact: By honing in on infertility and perinatal mental health, Kendra found an underserved community to offer support through therapy, resources, and retreats.
3. Expand Beyond 1:1 Sessions: From ongoing support groups and consultation to retreats and her fertility journal on Amazon, Kendra shows how creative offerings create ripple effects—helping more people without sacrificing boundaries or burning out.

Whether you’re a mental health clinician considering niching down or looking for new ways to serve your community, this episode is full of wisdom and practical inspiration.

More about Kendra:

Kendra A. Vargas (she/her), LCPC, PMH-C, is a culturally responsive and inclusive psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and consultant. With over a decade of experience in the mental health field, she has worked across diverse settings, including community mental health and private practice.

As the founder of Authentically You Psychotherapy, Kendra runs a group practice offering both individual therapy and support groups. She also provides consultation services and conducts trainings on topics such as developing and integrating groups into private practice settings, as well as various topics on perinatal mental health. Kendra is certified in perinatal mental health and holds a certification through Postpartum Support International.

Kendra currently runs a Fertility Skills and Support Group, which has been active for over six years, supporting individuals utilizing Assisted Reproductive Technologies such as IUI, IVF, and surrogacy for family planning, which is an area she has a deep, personal connection and compassion for. Additionally, she facilitates a Pregnancy After Infertility Group to help those navigating pregnancy after a challenging fertility journey.

Kendra has shared her insights on several podcasts, created a prompted fertility journal on Amazon and Etsy, and hosts an in-person fertility retreat, all inspired by her personal experience and deep passion for supporting others on the infertility journey.

• Instagram: instagram.com/ayoupsychotherapy
• Purchase Fertility Journal: a.co/d/0HJjDiW

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In this episode, Patrick Casale and Ariel Shumaker-Hammond, a couple's therapist and professional photographer, talk about the messiness, curiosity, and joy that often come with pursuing the many paths to creating fulfilling careers, especially as an ADHDer.

Ariel’s journey as a therapist, specialist in couples intensives, and professional photographer is a reminder of how rewarding it can be to honor non-linear career paths and the power of authentic connection.

Here are 3 key takeaways:

1. Authentic Relationships are the Heart of Both Therapy and Business: Ariel built her thriving practice and photography business through genuine relationships, grounded in curiosity and shared values—not just traditional marketing. Your network can be your best referral source when you show up authentically.
2. Neurodiversity Fuels Innovation, Not Instability: What may feel like a "meandering" or chaotic path can be a strength, especially for ADHDers and other neurodivergent entrepreneurs. Following passion, honoring limited energy, and not shaming yourself for pivoting are vital for sustainable business growth.
3. Business Models Can—and Should—Evolve: Whether it’s moving into couples intensives for deeper, more effective therapy or blending therapeutic skills with creative talents like photography, you have permission to change things up, ditch "norms," and find what makes you and your clients thrive.

If you’re building a private practice or exploring creative expansions, remember to lead with your authentic self, stay curious, and value the relationships that make your work meaningful.

More about Ariel:

Ariel is originally from North Carolina. After living for almost a decade out West, she missed the soft air, warm greens, and changing seasons, and convinced her husband to move back with her to the mountains. Her pronouns are she/her/hers.

Ariel loves working with a variety of folx, but specializes in couples work, including healing from affairs, or those contemplating separation. She also has extensive training and experience working with infertility challenges, reproductive trauma, perinatal mood and anxiety issues, and people going through major life transitions.

Ariel’s work is largely shaped through an anti-racist/anti-oppression lens, and this often factors into sessions. She is comfortable with and experienced in working with BIPOC (Black Indigenous, People of Color)/people of the global majority, LGBTQI folx, and folx of any gender expression. She continues to work on her own anti-racist and decolonizing journey. She also uses humor, when appropriate, and is never afraid to cry with a client.

Ariel is also a professional photographer, specializing in a documentary style for families, newborn/early childhood, retreats, and headshots/business. For photography & counseling, she offers equity-based spots.

• Instagram: @arielshumakerphoto
• Facebook: facebook.com/ashevillephoto
• Website: arielshumakerphotography.com

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In this episode, Patrick Casale talks with Danni Biondini, LMFT, adjunct professor, and founder of Gemini Family Therapy, about their experience of utilizing their expertise as a licensed therapist to become an adjunct professor, including practical advice and the realities of teaching at the graduate level.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. You don’t need a doctorate to get started. Many adjunct positions at the graduate level accept applicants with a master’s degree and clinical experience. Danni emphasizes: “You absolutely can teach with just a master's degree.”
2. Be specific about what you want to teach. Programs need instructors for a variety of subjects like human development, psychopathology, research methods, multicultural counseling, and more. Highlight relevant clinical expertise and be clear about your subject interests when you reach out.
3. Teaching is rewarding—but don’t expect to get rich. Adjunct roles can pay between $3,000–$6,000 per class, per semester. The real benefits? Creative fulfillment, connecting with students, and diversifying your work as a therapist.

More about Danni:

Danni Biondini is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, born and raised in San Francisco and now living in Brooklyn. They served as core faculty and department chair of a graduate program for MFT students, and as adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, and Brooklyn College.

Now, they primarily work as a family therapist in their private practice, Gemini Family Therapy, helping adult families in CA and NY repair from past hurts or estrangement.

They are also launching an online program that teaches theories and tools around how to repair from family estrangement. The program is called Prepare to Repair. Visit: prepareto.repair

• Instagram: @gemini_family_therapy
• Website: geminifamilytherapy.com

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